Popular Varieties Of Freshwater Aquarium Shrimp
Aquarists have discovered that freshwater aquarium shrimp can match the beauty of freshwater aquarium fish. They also come in different color combinations and sizes. As a hobby, they are not time consuming and give the same joy the fish give. They have become part of one of the greatest hobbies in the world and have established a solid place within the fish community of thousands of tanks around the world. Now they are being sold at pet stores like any other type of fish.
Takashi Amano, a Japanese aquarist, introduced a shrimp variety known as the Yamato Numa Ebi in the 1980’s. Also known as the “Japanese marsh shrimp” and “Amano shrimp”, they are more colorful than other freshwater aquarium shrimp. Their color combinations are light brown to reddish brown. They can get as large as 2 inches when fully grown and prefer to eat soft algae. They are sensitive to high levels of ammonia but can tolerate high alkalinity. Coming from a temperate region, they only thrive in waters temperatures ranging from 30 C and below. They are known to eat fish food if algae is not readily available.
Another popular variety is the Cherry shrimp which originated from Taiwan. The most sought after variation of this type is the Red Cherry shrimp which was bred in Germany. They were brought to the Unite States in the 1990’s. The Red Cherry shrimp have care requirements almost the same with the Amano shrimp. They are the same in size and eating habits. Known in the scientific circles as Neocaridina denticulata sinensis, Cherry shrimp are non-aggressive. They are very active and spend most of the time grazing on plant leaves and the tanks bottom for algae.
